The Government of the Maldives has expressed a strong interest in recruiting more Bangladeshi doctors, therapists, nurses, and other healthcare professionals for its government hospitals and healthcare institutions.
The interest was conveyed during a courtesy meeting between the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the Maldives Dr Md Nazmul Islam and Maldives Minister of Health Geela Ali, held at the Ministry of Health in Malé on Thursday.
Senior officials of the Maldivian Ministry of Health were also in attendance.
During the discussions, Health Minister Geela Ali noted that the Maldivian healthcare sector is in need of specialised professionals, stating that approximately fifty therapists are urgently required to strengthen services in government hospitals across the country.
Praising the expertise and dedication of Bangladeshi healthcare workers, she remarked that the Maldivian government is highly interested in increasing their recruitment.
In response, High Commissioner Dr Md Nazmul Islam assured the Minister that the recruitment of Bangladeshi therapists and healthcare professionals is already being actively pursued with the relevant authorities in Bangladesh.
He expressed optimism that qualified professionals would soon join the Maldivian healthcare sector.
Pharmaceutical Cooperation
The Maldives has also shown keen interest in importing high-quality pharmaceutical products directly from Bangladesh through a government-to-government (G2G) mechanism.
Minister Geela Ali highly appreciated the progress achieved by Bangladesh’s pharmaceutical sector and informed that a high-level Maldivian delegation is expected to visit Bangladesh soon to assess international standards and production capacities.
Bilateral ties and education
Both sides emphasised the importance of renewing and strengthening the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on health cooperation to make bilateral engagement more effective.
The Minister expressed appreciation to the Bangladesh government for providing medical internship opportunities to Maldivian students.
High Commissioner Islam further noted that the Government of Bangladesh currently offers seven fully funded scholarships for Maldivian students under the South Asian regional quota scheme, encouraging them to utilise Bangladesh’s internationally recognised medical education system.
Welfare of expatriates
Minister Geela Ali commended the socio-economic contributions of Bangladeshi expatriate workers in the Maldives.
She further noted that Maldivian health authorities continue to provide humanitarian medical assistance, including ICU and costly emergency treatments, to undocumented Bangladeshi nationals.
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to deepening bilateral relations and strategic health cooperation.
The Bangladesh High Commission in the Maldives confirmed it would continue to coordinate the recruitment process and pharmaceutical initiatives between the two nations.
